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Match Details
Fixture: (9) Borna Coric vs Brandon Nakashima.
Date: October 6, 2022.
Tournament: Japan Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Tokyo, Japan.
Category: ATP 500.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $1,953,285.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | Australia - beIN Sports.
Borna Coric vs Brandon Nakashima preview
Ninth seed Borna Coric will square off against World No. 47 Brandon Nakashima in the second round of the 2022 Japan Open.
Coric was up against Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round. The Croat bagged an early break as he raced to a 3-1 lead in the opening set. Later on, he saved a break point before serving out the first set.
The second set was more closely contested. Coric got to a break point in the third game of the set, but was unable to convert. The duo remained pretty solid on serve as the set headed into a tiebreak. Kokkinakis secured an early lead to go 2-0 up, but Coric stepped up his game to win the match 6-4, 7-6 (4).
Nakashima commenced his challenge in Tokyo against home favorite Shintaro Mochizuki in the first round. The two went toe-to-toe for half of the opening set, until the American got the upper hand towards the end. He reeled off three games in a row to clinch the first set.
Nakashima carried the momentum into the second set as well, securing an early break to go 2-0 up. Mochizuki tried his best but was unable to claw his way back into the match. The 21-year old then bagged the final three games of the match to complete an easy 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Borna Coric vs Brandon Nakashima head-to-head
The two have not faced off against each other before this, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Borna Coric vs Brandon Nakashima odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Borna Coric vs Brandon Nakashima prediction
Coric made a successful return to the tour this year following an injury hiatus and won the biggest title of his career at the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati. Nakashima also recently claimed his maiden ATP title at the San Diego Open.
Neither player dropped serve during their first-round match. Their serving stats were also somewhat identical, winning a high percentage of their first serve points. Nakashima did have it a little easier in comparison as Coric faced a slightly more accomplished player who did test the Croat a fair bit.
Both players are partial to their backhands and are pretty good when it comes to court coverage. They'll look to dominate the proceedings from the back of the court, but are quite comfortable moving forward as well to finish off the points.
Nakashima is the player with momentum on his side. The American's first-round victory was his sixth in a row, which commenced with his title-winning run in San Diego. As such, he will be the the slight favorite to win this contest.
Pick: Brandon Nakashima to win in three sets.
